


honey

by cherrywin



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Light Angst, Little Space, its over in like 0.2 seconds tho, lapslock
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-22
Updated: 2019-10-22
Packaged: 2020-12-28 07:20:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21132830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherrywin/pseuds/cherrywin
Summary: sicheng, ten knows from a conversation a while ago, is usually around three when he's like this. three is much smaller than ten's seven. much more important.





	honey

**Author's Note:**

> i should be asleep rn but this thought came to me and idk this came out of it

ten isn't jealous that sicheng gets most of kun's attention, of course not. sicheng is so cute when he's a little boy, stumbling over his words and giggling cutely whenever kun has to help him with a mundane activity such as washing up. he's a bit more clumsy, spills things easier and has to stay out of the kitchen unless someone bigger is in there with him.

sicheng, ten knows from a conversation a while ago, is usually around three when he's like this. three is much smaller than ten's seven. much more important.

ten watches as sicheng babbles to himself while he draws aimless shapes, _pororo_ playing softly in the background. ten sits at the table with work set out in front of him, lip chewed raw and scalp hurting from how hard he's been pulling at his hair, eyes burning because he wants to cry but he knows he has to be a big boy and just suck it up.

there's nothing more he wants to do than maybe crawl into kun's lap and be petted, maybe even have a lullaby sung to him. he wants to be called little one, pretty boy, prince, everything that will make him feel smaller than he already is, anything that will make his body melt and his mind go fuzzy in the best of ways.

but he knows he can't. 

because sicheng is little right now, and ten promised kun that he would look after him while he dashed to the shop. he'd hoped that what was happening right now, didn't happen.

"tennie, look!" sicheng says, holding up his paper to show ten, a proud smile on his face. he points to misshapen blobs as he speaks, "this is me, 'nd you, 'nd this is papa over here."

ten sometimes says things he doesn't mean to say. like now, for example.

"that doesn't even look like us."

the smile on sicheng's face melts into a frown. "what do you mean?"

"it looks ugly."

sicheng bites his lip, fingers scrunching up the paper where he holds it. there's fire burning in his doe eyes when he starts shouting, "yeah, well. well, _you're_ ugly, an'— and papa's never gonna love you like he loves me 'cause you're too _big_!"

ten's throat tightens. sicheng's eyes widen, likes he's only just realised what he's said. 

"tennie, i di'n mean it like that—"

"go away, sicheng." 

he pushes sicheng away when he tries to cling to him, fingers gripping at whatever he can to get ten to stay. he's blabbering, he's _crying_, and ten can't help but think that this is all his fault.

kun, for how perfect he is with timing, decides that this is the best time to open the door, grinning and about to announce something. his grin drops, face contorting into one of confusion before ten takes one look at him and bolts for his room, locking the door behind him.

he cries to himself as quietly as he can while he changes into something softer, something that will make him look better than he feels. he's such a bad little boy. a good boy wouldn't make their friend cry and then run away. stupid tennie, always hurting people then running away.

three gentle knocks sound at the door.

"ten, honey. could you let me in, please?"

and _oh_, kun's voice is so soft and it would be so easy to open the door and call him papa and apologise for everything, but… 

"go away," ten says, tugging the duvet over his head and curling into a tiny ball.

kun sighs. that's a sigh of disappointment. he's disappointed in ten, he's annoyed with him, he's going to kick him out because he's been such a naughty little boy—

"papa's not mad, sweetheart."

ten bites the duvet between his lips to muffle his sob.

"i don't think it's right that you made sichengie cry, but i'm not mad. papa isn't mad at you."

ten peeks his head out from under the covers, sniffling and looking at the door. "y're not mad?"

"not at all. tell you what, how about you come out here and we can all talk about it. how does that sound, little one?" kun's voice is velvet soft as he talks, voice never once raising or indicating any anger.

ten sucks his bottom lip into his mouth and unlocks the door, but doesn't move. kun pushes the door open with a slight nudge, making a little noise when he sees ten. "oh, honey…"

"i didn't mean it!" ten says, lip wobbling. "papa, i didn't, i didn't _mean_ to say it!"

kun wraps his arms around ten's shoulders and hugs him close, stroking a gentle hand over his head and hushing him. ten shakes and cries, fingers clutching at the woolen fabric of kun's ugly old granddad sweater he got for christmas last year as a gag gift from ten and sicheng. 

"let's go talk with sicheng, hm?" kun says once they pull apart, stroking the hair from ten's eyes and brushing his thumb over ten's cheekbone. ten nods and hiccups, tugging his sleeves over his hands and trailing behind kun while he holds his hand.

sicheng sits at the table, knees tucked to his chest. he looks like he's about to cry when he sees ten, standing up and holding his arms out. "'m sorry i said that, um. that papa doesn't love you. 'cause he does. lots. i don't want you to be sad."

ten nods, saying nothing. kun nudges him with a gentle shoulder. "i… i shouldn't have said your picture was ugly. even if it was. i should have kept it in my head. 'm sorry."

"can we hug?" sicheng asks, taking a tentative step closer. ten nods only when sicheng's arms start to droop, stepping in and tucking his head into sicheng's shoulder.

after their reconciliation, ten plays racecars with sicheng, making his car do super cool flips and tricks in the air while sicheng laughs and rolls around on the carpet. kun watches fondly from the kitchen while he cooks, telling himself he's the luckiest man for getting to take care of two of the loveliest little boys in the entire world.

**Author's Note:**

> [carrd!!](https://cherryibos.carrd.co/)


End file.
